Frame construction



Jan. 28, 1964 w. SCHLEGEL FRAME CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6, 1961 l/W [A/TOP WERNER SCHLEGEL Jan. 28, 1964 w. SCHLEGEL FRAME CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6, 1961 w m 7 Z w 4 l i m t f w fl v N w m m a g m f W L a A g wa /Wop,-

WERNER SC HLEGEL BY WW AGENT United States Patent 3,119,155 FRAME tIUNSTRUfJTlQN Werner Schiegel, Essen, Germany, assignor to internationaie Bouw-Speciaiiteiten N.V., Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, a corporation of the Netherlands Filed Jan. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 81,048 Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 23, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. -11) My present invention relates to a frame for swingable wall inserts, such as doors or windows.

In building construction it has heretofore been a frequent practice to arrange the frames of doors and windows at predetermined locations before the erection of walls therearound, the frames then serving as boundaries for the masonry. This procedure, however, often requires complicated measures for the initial positioning, the temporary support and the accurate ultimate orientation of the frames which make it appear desirable to install the frames only after the wall has been completed and provided with the necessary number of openings therefor. Previous attempts at solving the problems involved in the latter technique, such as proper anchorage and preservation of the trim of the finished wall, have been only partly successful; especial difficulties were encountered in the design of mountings adapted to withstand the stresses created by the movement of heavy swinging doors.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide an improved frame construction adapted to be fitted into corresponding openings of pre-formed walls in such manner as securely to hold a door or window therein without damage to the plastering or other surface finish of the adjoining wall portions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a frame capable of being installed in an opening of a finished wall without requiring this opening to be dimensioned to close tolerances.

A further object is to provide a frame of this character which can be readily removed, e.g. for purpose of repair or replacement, without impairment of the surrounding masonry.

Frames for swingable doors are frequently rabbeted to form ledges serving as stops for the door in its closed position. It is also customary to provide a door with a marginal strip designed to overlie the frame so as to constitute a seal against drafts, dust and noise when the door is closed. Difliculties arise, however, in so matching the depth of the rabbet to the thickness of the door panel that the latter comes to bear upon the ledge as the marginal strip engages the frame; the resulting imperfect fit also creates problems in the alignment of the latching and locking members of the door with the corresponding cutouts previously machined in the frame since, generally, the lock assembly of a door is lodged in a recess formed therein at the factory. Lack of registry has in the past necessitated time-consuming readjustments at the building site; moreover, such readjustments almost always lead to in complete sealing of the gap between door and frame, thus permitting sound Waves and convection currents to pass therebetween.

It is, therefore, also an object of the instant invention to provide means for producing a substantially perfect seal between independently manufactured doors and frames therefor whereby the inconveniences described above will be avoided.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved mounting for door frames and the like including sound-deadening means whereby impacts and sounds due to slamming are transmitted only in highly attenuated form to the surrounding structure and to its environment.

An important feature of the present invention resides in Patented Jan. 28, 1964 the provision of a frame for doors, windows and the like which comprises two substantially co-extensive framing members separated in a direction transverse to the plane of the frame opening, these members engaging opposite wall surfaces of the frame-supporting masonry and being urged against these surfaces by clamping means bridging the gap between them. The clamping means may consist of a pair of tensioning elements, such as turnbuckles or camming wedges, which are preferably located on opposite sides of the frame at the uprights or jambs thereof. Means may be provided for immobilizing each tensioning element in a position of final adjustment, such means in a simple case taking the form of a nail driven into the frame jamb through a suitable hole in the element.

Advantageously, resilient padding is interposed between the framing members and the masonry to preserve the finish of the latter and to attenuate noise and vibrations. The clamping means may, furthermore, be concealed by cover means such as sliding panels spanning the framing members within the door or window opening.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of a resilient bumper frame of stepped configuration in the framing member to which the door or window is hinged, hereinafter referred to as the front member, this bumper frame taking the place of the conventional rabbet and being preferably provided with a series of closely spaced peripheral ribs which bear upon the body of the swingable insert in the closed position of the latter. If this insert is a door provided with a marginal sealing strip projecting beyond its panel, the bumper frame may slightly project forwardly of the front member to be contacted by the sealing strip when the door is closed; in such case the forwardly projecting edge of the bumper frame may likewise be ribbed and fluted to increase its resiliency and to form a labyrinth seal around all or part of the door.

The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional bottom View of an embodiment of part of a door frame according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same embodiment taken on line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of a different embodiment of a door frame according to my invention, employing modified clamping means; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional bottom view of a door frame provided with the same type of clamping means as the one shown in FIG. 3.

The door frame of FIGS. 1 and 2, set in a clearance of a wall 1, comprises two metallic framing members 2, 2' of channeled stock located on opposite sides of wall 1 and bearing respectively against its plaster layers 31, 31', thereby forming the jambs and the transverse upper rail (not shown) of the frame, one such jamb being visible in these figures. Pads 3, 3' made of elastic material (e.g. bitumen-impregnated foam rubber or plastic), interposed between the framing members and the wall, serve both for protecting the trim of the wall and for sound-proofing the door frame. Oppositely positioned pairs of spaced-apart profiled braces 4, 4' are disposed at each jamb of the members 2, 2' and fastened to them approximately midway along their height (eg by glue, cement or other adhesive) to form lateral supports for two metallic anchor plates 5, 5' which are soldered, riveted or otherwise secured to these braces and whose inturned, slopingly diverging extremities 6, 6 are engaged by a wedge-shaped clamp 7; the latter is slid onto these extremities and earns the framing members 2, 2' together, as indicated by arrows A, A, on being forced down (egg. by hammer blows) as shown by arrow B. Clamp 7 is suitably provided with an opening 11 for a nail it which, when driven into wall 1,

looks the clamp in its position. The clamping assembly 5, 5', 7 is concealed by a cover plate 14 of metal, plastic or the like which on one side fits into a slot 13 in the member 2 and on its other side is fastened to the member 2 by an angle iron 16 and bolts 15. Sufficient freedom is provided for plate 14 in slot 13 to allow for a variable spacing of the framing members accommodating walls of different thickness.

It will also be apparent that the frame 2, 2' may be slid along Wall 1 for a certain distance into a centered position within the door opening even if the width of that opening somewhat exceeds that of the frame.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 which is otherwise similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the anchor plates supported (e.g. by soldering) by the braces 4, 4 are flattened sheet-metal tubes 52, 52 forming sockets 8, 8' to receive oppositely threaded tension rods 51, 51'. The latter are coupled together by a turnbuckle 9 provided with a hole 12 for the passage of a nail (FIG. 1) to immobilize the linkage.

In the modified construction shown in FIG. 4, two wooden framing members 17 and 17' are glued to two pairs of wooden stiles 27, 27'. Each stile is partly embraced, at a location approximately midway along its height, by a metallic bracket 32, 32 having an outwardly extending leg received in a recess of the stile. Soldered, welded or riveted to these brackets 32, 32 are the anchor plates 52, 52' of flattened tubular configuration which form the sockets 8, 8' for the tension rods 51, 51 engaged by turnbuckle 9. The framing members 17, 17 are generally U-shaped, consisting of two uprights and a overhead rail indicated at 1711 for the member17.

The front member 17, 32 of the structure of FIG. 4 has fastened to one of its jambs a set of hinges 22a (only one shown) to which a door 22 is swingably attached. This door comprises a marginal strip 19 which projects beyond the door body to overlie the wooden framing member 17 on its three sides. In the closed position of the door, as illustrated in the drawing, the strip 19 abuts the forward edge of a bumper frame 18 of elastic material (preferably a. synthetic resin of sufficient resiliency), this bumper frame being of stepped configuration so as to form a ledge simultaneously engageable by the body of the door 22. Both the ledge and-the forward edge of the bumper frame are provided with transversely spaced ribs 18:: and 18b forming flutes therebetween, thus further softening the impact and damping the noise due to a slamming of the door. These ribs and flutes constitute a labyrinth seal against sound waves and air currents. The bumper frame 18, which is of the same U-shaped configuration as the framingmembers 17 and 17", is secured to front member 17 and its stiles 27 by suitable fastening means such as nails 20. Some of these nails also serve to hold in position a pair of cover plates 54 which serve the same function as the plate 14 of FIG. 1 and are loosely received, with some freedom of adjustment, in slots 57 of rear framing member 17'.

The front member17 is also provided with a peripheral d groove receiving a rib 21 integral with bumper frame 18, the latter being thus more firmly secured to the frame structure in the vicinity of door 22.

The brackets 32, 32' may be secured to the frame members 17, 17 and their stiles 27, 27 in any dependable manner, e.g. adhesively and/ or by bolts or nails.

It is evident that each of the framing members 17 and 17 as well as the bumper frame 18, shown and described as defining three sides of a rectangle, may also be extended at the floor level to form a complete rectangle. In this case the bumper frame 22 will provide an effective seal against noise and drafts all around the door.

It will thus be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and illustrated but may be realized in various modifications and adaptations without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A split jamb assembly receivable in a wall provided with a frame opening, said assembly comprising two relatively displaceable substantially rigid frame members spaced from said wall and peripherally framing said opening on opposite sides thereof, each of said members including a respective portion juxtaposed with one side of said wall, resilient pad means interposed between each of said portions and said wall, said frame members being held out or" vibration-transmitting contact with said wall by said pad means, clamping means bridging said frame members for adjustably urging them toward each other and said wall, thereby clamping said resilient pad means between said portions and said wall, cover plates spanning said frame members and forming enclosures for said clamping means between themselves and said wall on opposite sides of said opening, said cover plates being flush with one of said frame members, a door hinged to one of said frame members, said door having a body surrounded by a marginal strip, and a resilient bumper frame secured to said cover plates and to said one of said frame members, said bumper frame projecting outwardly beyond said one of said frame members for contacting said marginal strip in a position of closure of said door, said bumper frame further having an inner shoulder engagcable by the body of said door in said position of closure.

2. A frame assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said pad means consists of strips of bitumen-impregnated foam material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 21,364 Lipman Feb. 20, 1940 1,750,631 Eaglesfield Mar. 18, 1930 1,913,716 Meilink et al June 13, 1933 2,185,650 Shipway et al. Jan. 2, 1940 2,303,739 Hasenburger et al. Dec. 1, 1942 2,541,871 Heijmer et a1 Feb. 13, 1951 2,582,765 Brew Jan. 15, 1952 2,910,154 Hammitt et al. Oct. 27, 1959 

1. A SPLIT JAMB ASSEMBLY RECEIVABLE IN A WALL PROVIDED WITH A FRAME OPENING, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING TWO RELATIVELY DISPLACEABLE SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID FRAME MEMBERS SPACED FROM SAID WALL AND PERPHERALLY FRAMING SAID OPENING ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, EACH OF SAID MEMBERS INCLUDING A RESPECTIVE PORTION JUXTAPOSED WITH ONE SIDE OF SAID WALL, RESILIENT PAD MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN EACH OF SAID PORTIONS AND SAID WALL, SAID FRAME MEMBERS BEING HELD OUT OF VIBRATION-TRANSMITTING CONTACT WITH SAID WALL BY SAID PAD MEANS, CLAMPING MEANS BRIDGING SAID FRAME MEMBERS FOR ADJUSTABLY URGING THEM TOWARD EACH OTHER AND SAID WALL, THEREBY CLAMPING SAID RESILIENT PAD MEANS BETWEEN SAID PORTIONS AND SAID WALL, COVER PLATES SPANNING SAID FRAME MEMBERS AND FORMING ENCLOSURES FOR SAID CLAMPING MEANS BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND SAID WALL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID OPENING, SAID COVER PLATES BEING FLUSH SAID FRAME MEMBERS, SAID DOOR HAVING A BODY SURROUNDED BY A MARGINAL STRIP, AND A RESILIENT BUMPER FRAME SECURED TO SAID COVER PLATES AND TO SAID ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS, SAID BUMPER FRAME PROJECTING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS FOR CONTACTING SAID MARGINAL STRIP IN A POSITION OF CLOSURE OF SAID DOOR, SAID BUMPER FRAME FURTHER HAVING AN INNER SHOULDER ENGAGEABLE BY THE BODY OF SAID DOOR IN SAID POSITION OF CLOSURE. 